Subject:
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Re: Nature of man (was Re: Problems with Christianity)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 19 Dec 2000 23:16:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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583 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Tom Stangl writes:
> But according to others in this group, man doesn't HAVE free will - God knows
> everything anyone will do from cradle to grave - where is the free will in
> that?
Well, I can't speak for others, but here is one take on it. (and I haven't
thought this through overly much, so it may have holes...)
I don't see a contradiction.
If I choose to (X), or to not (X), how does God knowing ahead of time which
I will choose affect my making the choice? The position that God's
knowledge of my choice will affect my choice implies that God is dictating
my choice to me ahead of time, which, AFAIK, isn't happening.
You (or they, or whoever) seems to be infering that having God (or anyone)
knowing what is going to happen means that it fixes the event as immutable.
I don't think the correlation is very strong.
As a lesser (and deliberately simplistic!) example, I know that if I eat
lunch I will have more energy in the afternoon, and if I don't eat lunch I
will be a bit tired and punchy as 3 o'clock rolls around. Knowing both of
these results doesn't mean that I am forced to one or the other choice. I
still make the choice.
Also, you now know this. Your knowledge of this has even *less* of an
effect on my decision than my own knowledge.
Just think of God as a very through researcher who's predictions line up
100% with observation. <grin, duck>
James
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